1. Identify the next commitment

Ask what must happen next, what is blocked and which deadline is confirmed. Distinguish an external commitment from an internal estimate. Keep the email, ticket or document that supports the date. Prioritise commitments that fall shortly after the employee’s last day.

2. Name a recipient for each responsibility

A department name is not a work owner. Assign a person who can accept the responsibility. If recruitment is ongoing, designate an interim owner and document when that ownership will be reviewed. Check that this person has time and the required authority; a name in a spreadsheet alone does not resolve capacity.

3. Preserve the reason and the method

Ask why the current approach was chosen, what alternatives were rejected and when to escalate an exception. Capture recurring steps, useful prompts, review criteria and the contact who can answer follow-up questions. Separate confirmed decisions from the employee’s interpretation so the next owner knows what can change.

4. Check the source from the recipient’s account

Preserve approved files in the agreed company location, then test recipient access. Google documents that Shared Drive files are owned by the organisation rather than an individual. That ownership model does not remove the need to check access, company policy or the chosen transfer method. Do not rely on a departing employee’s personal folder alone.

5. Record what remains unresolved

Keep one visible list of missing owners, unanswered questions, unavailable files and unchecked permissions. Set an owner for resolving each gap. AI may help propose gaps, but a person should verify the result. Do not mark a handover complete simply because a summary document exists.

A short acceptance conversation

Choose one important task. Ask the recipient: What happens next? Where is the source? When would you ask for help? If they cannot answer, update the handover rather than add another generic meeting. Record the review date, accepted scope and outstanding items. This is a suggested team practice, not a substitute for company-specific departure procedures.

Sources

Service settings can change. Official guidance checked on 2026-09-28.

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